The Water Magician

I have returned!

Finally, the "Part Four: Dark Continent Arc" is opening.

The world was peaceful.

In particular, the king's office of the Naitorei Kingdom was peaceful.

As usual, Abel was signing documents.

As usual, Ryo was sprawled on the sofa, reading a book about alchemy.

Nothing had changed.

"Abel has changed."

"Huh?"

"My eyes, which are always watching Abel from here, cannot be deceived!"

Ryo said as he sat up from the sofa, striking a pose as if adjusting his glasses.

He felt like a prosecutor cornering a suspect.

In Ryo's image, prosecutors apparently wear glasses...

"Rather than surveillance, you're just lying there reading a book."

"The basics of surveillance involve not letting the subject realize they are being watched."

"You just admitted to being a watcher yourself..."

Abel's remark was ignored by Ryo.

"Abel's workload has decreased compared to before you were sent to the Eastern Nations."

"Workload?"

"Exactly!"

Ryo said, extending his index finger assertively.

The target was the pile of documents stacked on Abel's desk.

"There used to be a lot more."

"Ah..."

"It’s been a month since we returned. Immediately after coming back, the work might be less because it was a reunion, but after a month, it should return to normal. Yet, the documents are scarce."

"Don’t tell me that."

Abel himself knew the reason.

"Also, you’ve been practicing your sword in the morning, right? You didn't have time for that before."

"You know well that I practice swordsmanship in the morning, while Ryo is sparring with Sera."

"Of course. Such information comes my way... Wait? In the morning? Are you saying you're practicing swordsmanship all morning?"

"Yeah, that’s right. Sometimes I also spar with the knights."

Abel shrugged.

"I’ve confirmed that Abel is running headlong down the path of a battle maniac. Before long, you’ll be called the battle king or the sword duel king."

"What is that supposed to mean...?"

Since being sent to the Eastern Nations with Ryo, Abel had remembered.

The desire to become stronger.

It was something he had when he was the second prince...

And it was something he lost when he formed the "red sword"...

The one who reminded him of that desire was the water attribute mage, who was pointing it out from the usual sofa.

"I just remembered that I want to be stronger. That's all."

"Pursuing only strength is ultimately empty."

"I don’t know why, but I can’t accept it when Ryo says that."

Words that would be praised if said by a sage were not accepted when they came from Ryo... It seemed Abel couldn't accept it.

It is said that who speaks is more important than what is said... That must be the case.

"Well, it’s natural that things would change since I was away for a year. It’s to be expected that things would adapt to operate without me."

"I see."

Things that previously required King Abel's approval had apparently changed to not require his approval anymore.

"But still, someone has to give approval, right? Isn’t your excellency the chancellor doing that?"

"Of course Count Heinlein is involved, but... quite a bit has been delegated to the ministers."

"Such as the minister of finance and those kinds of people."

Ryo nodded in response.

Ryo remembers the former Treasurer Fuka.

A name similar to the character 'Treasurer Fouquet' from A. Dumas's masterpiece "The Three Musketeers."

The minister of finance refers to the person who oversees the Ministry of Finance, akin to the finance minister in modern Japan.

However, some matters require approval across ministries.

Of course, it would be Marquis Alexis Heinlein, the main chancellor of the chancellor's office, who would approve them, but there should still be quite a few things that require the king's approval...

"There is someone who can approve on behalf of the king."

"A proxy of the king...?"

"According to the kingdom's laws, it’s theoretically possible if it’s the former king."

"The former king? Abel's father? Has he recovered?!"

"Ah, I see, Ryo didn’t know yet."

The former king Stafford IV.

Abel's father, who had been drugged by the Empire's schemes for a long time, continued to receive treatment at the Central Sanctuary even after the war of kingdom liberation ended.